Systematic Dozenal Nomenclature
Systematic Dozenal Nomenclature (SDN) is, primarily, a system of metric prefixes derived from familiar numeric word-roots from classical Greek and Latin, with dozenal extensions. It is inspired by (and subsumes as a subset) the Systematic Element Name scheme devised by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). It is also inspired by (and is offered as a replacement for (Why?)) the dozenal metric prefix system devised by Tom Pendlebury as an adjunct to his TGM System of measurement units. The system is used by some systems of measures such as IDUS. Power Prefixes Of chief importance are the power prefixes generated by the SDN rules. They are expected to be the most frequently used parts of this system, acting as metric-style scaling prefixes on units of measurement. The table below summarizes these prefixes and the quantities they represent: Digit Roots *SDN uses a set of digit roots derived from classical Latin and Greek. *The roots for the digits one through nine are identical with those chosen by IUPAC for its (decimal) Systematic Element Names. *SDN extends these dozenally with roots for transdecimal digits ten and eleven. *The root dec is the obvious choice for digit ten *The root lev is a coinage derived by contracting English eleven -- but it can also be derived from Latin! (See below.) *Digit roots are concatenated to form numeral strings. (See Numeral Strings.) *SDN multiplier prefixes are designed to be close approximations of the Latin or Greek combining forms from which thedigit roots themselves are derived. The intent is to mimic forms already in current use by scientists and lay people, since those forms act as simple numeric multipliers. (See Multiplier Prefixes.) *SDN power prefixes, on the other hand, are designed to be clearly distinct from those pre-existing combining forms, yet still recognizably derivative from them, and at least plausible as Latinate word-forms. (See Power Prefixes.) The following table shows etymological derivations for the digit roots: Numeral Strings *SDN concatenates digit roots to form place-valued numeral strings. *Normally, numeral strings do not appear in isolation but instead are embedded within a prefix. *A numeral string may represent the mantissa of a multiplier prefix. *A numeral string may represent the exponent of a power prefix. *The second -n- in enn is elided if followed by nil, yielding ennil rather than ennnil. *Except for dozenal interpretation, and the presence of transdecimal digit roots, these numeral strings are the same as those generated for IUPAC's (decimal) Systematic Element Names. The following table shows the first one gross two dozen numeral strings generated according to SDN rules: Multiplier Prefixes *SDN appends multiplier markers onto numeral strings to generate multiplier prefixes. The numeral string in a multiplier prefix represents its mantissa. *SDN multiplier prefixes are designed to be close approximations of the Latin or Greek combining forms which the digit roots themselves are derived from. The intent is to mimic forms already in current use by scientists and lay people, since those forms act as simple numeric multipliers. *A multiplier marker consists of a final -a- or -i-, depending on the immediately-preceding digit root, possibly with an intervening letter added for euphony depending on the preceding digit root. *Where both -a- and -i- are allowed, they do not change the meaning of the prefix. *The euphony letters are derived from the original etymologies of their respective digit roots. *Elision is allowed where it produces no ambiguity: Some or all of the multiplier marker may be dropped depending on whether the multiplier prefix is followed by a power prefix or something else; and also on whether the follower begins with a consonant or a vowel (see table below). In some cases, when the follower is a power prefix beginning with a vowel, an -n- is inserted for euphony. *One dit syllable may be included between digit roots to indicate the position of the radix point in the mantissa. If none is included, the mantissa represents a whole number. Examples *bi ennium = 2-year period *tri ennium = 3-year period *quadr ennium = 4-year period *oct ennium = 8-year period *unnil ennium = unquennium = 10′-year perio *unquadr ennium = 14′-year period *bioct ennium = 28′-year period *pentquadr ennium = 54′-year period *decoct ennium = X8′-year period *unnilnil ennium = biquennium = 100′-year period *unennquadr ennium = 194′-year period Power Prefixes *SDN appends power markers onto numeral strings to generate power prefixes. *The intent for the power prefixes is they be at least plausible as Latinate word forms, but at the same time clearly distinct from pre-existing Latin and Greek combining forms already used in English (which the multiplier prefixes are intended to mimic and which the digit roots themselves derive from). *The intent is also to make the positive and negative power prefixes clearly distinct from each other, without forcing speakers to put unnatural stress on otherwise unstressed syllables. One issue with Pendlebury's power prefixes is that the only difference between his positive and negative powers are the final vowels -a- and -i- in unstressed syllables, which are difficult to distinguish unless the speaker makes an unnatural effort to enunciate the -i- sound. *The -cia- marker was chosen for the negative powers because this makes uncia the first negative power (equal to one dozenth). This is exactly the same as the Latin word uncia "a twelfth-part", from which English derives both inch and ounce. The combination of the fronted glide from the -i- to the -a-, as well as the soft -c-, are distinctive and easily distinguished from the flat -a- or -i- sound heard in the multiplier markers. *The -qua- marker was chosen for the positive powers to provide a contrast with other forms. The labial glide from the -u-to the -a-, as well as the hard -q-, are distinctive and easily distinguished from the negative prefixes as well as themultiplier markers. *The final -a- on any of the power prefixes may be dropped, without loss of meaning, when the following word begins with a vowel. The natural tendency of English to do this elision causes no harm, so long as the distinctive part of these prefixes (the -qu- or the -ci-) remains intact. *Some may find the consonant clusters of pentqua-, septqua-, and octqua-, with the juxtaposition of a /n/, /p/, or /k/ sound immediately followed by a /t/ and then a /kw/, difficult to articulate. This can be alleviated by interjecting a slight pause or even a faint /ɪ/ syllable in between the /t/ and /k/, or by weakening the/t/ to a glottal stop /ʔ/. *Based on the resulting forms for their first powers, the positive and negative power prefixes are informally know as "Unqual" and "Uncial" prefixes, respectively. Examples *Time Units, and Suggested Colloquialisms. *Length/Distance Units: Suggested Colloquialisms. *Volume Units: Suggested Colloquialisms. *Polytopes *Numeric Bases See Also *IDUS *TGM Category:Pages